Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multi-organ autoimmune disease characterized by autoantibody production. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) ameliorate SLE symptoms by targeting T cells, whereas the mechanisms of their efficacy remain incompletely understood. In this study, we show that transfer of human MSCs increased MRL.Faslpr mouse survival, decreased T cell infiltration in the kidneys, and reduced T cell cytokine expression. In vitro, allogeneic mouse MSCs inhibited MRL.Faslpr T cell proliferation and cytokine production. Time-lapse imaging revealed that MSCs recruited MRL.Faslpr T cells establishing long-lasting cellular contacts by enhancing T cell VCAM-1 expression in a CCL2-dependent manner. In contrast, CCL2 deficient MSCs did not induce T cell migration and VCAM-1 expression, resulting in insufficient cell-cell contact. Consequently, CCL2 deficient MSCs did not inhibit IFN-γ production by T cells and upon transfer no longer prolonged survival of MRL.Faslpr mice. Taken together, our imaging study demonstrates that CCL2 enables the prolonged MSC–T cell interactions needed for sufficient suppression of autoreactive T cells and helps to understand how MSCs ameliorate symptoms in lupus-prone MRL.Faslpr mice.

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The level of VEGF in aqueous humor was significantly higher in the failure group after the Ahmed glaucoma implantation compared with the success group. Our results imply that VEGF may play a role in determining surgical success after Ahmed valve implantation in patients with NVG.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are present in diverse tissues and organs, including bone marrow, umbilical cord, adipose tissue, and placenta. MSCs can expand easily in vitro and have regenerative stem cell properties and potent immunoregulatory activity. They inhibit the functions of dendritic cells, B cells, and T cells, but enhance those of regulatory T cells by producing immunoregulatory molecules such as transforming growth factor-β, hepatic growth factors, prostaglandin E2, interleukin-10, indolamine 2,3-dioxygenase, nitric oxide, heme oxygenase-1, and human leukocyte antigen-G. These properties make MSCs promising therapeutic candidates for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. Here, we review the preclinical studies of MSCs in animal models for systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease, and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, and summarize the underlying immunoregulatory mechanisms.

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Pancreatic cancer is the fourth commonest cause of cancer-related deaths in the world. However, no adequate therapy for pancreatic cancer has yet been found. In this study, the antitumor activity of cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells against the human pancreatic cancer was evaluated in vitro and in vivo. Human peripheral blood mononuclear cells were cultured with IL-2-containing medium in anti-CD3 for 14 days. The resulting populations of CIK cells comprised 94% CD3+, 4% CD3-CD56+, 41% CD3+CD56+, 11% CD4+, and 73% CD8+. This heterogeneous cell population was called cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells. At an effector-target cell ratio of 100:1, CIK cells destroyed 51% of AsPC-1 human pancreatic cancer cells, as measured by the 51Cr-release assay. In addition, CIK cells at doses of 3 and 10 million cells per mouse inhibited 42% and 70% of AsPC-1 tumor growth in nude mouse xenograft assays, respectively. This study suggests that CIK cells may be used as an adoptive immunotherapy for pancreatic cancer patients.

Colorectal cancer is the third leading cancer worldwide. Although incidence and mortality of colorectal cancer are gradually decreasing in the US, patients with metastatic colorectal cancer have poor prognosis with an estimated 5-year survival rate of less than 10%. Over the past decade, advances in combination chemotherapy regimens for colorectal cancer have led to significant improvement in progression-free and overall survival. However, patients with metastatic disease gain little clinical benefit from conventional therapy, which is associated with grade 3~4 toxicity with negative effects on quality of life. In previous clinical studies, cell-based immunotherapy using dendritic cell vaccines and sentinel lymph node T cell therapy showed promising therapeutic results for metastatic colorectal cancer. In our preclinical and previous clinical studies, cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells treatment for colorectal cancer showed favorable responses without toxicities. Here, we review current treatment options for colorectal cancer and summarize available clinical studies utilizing cell-based immunotherapy. Based on these studies, we recommend the use CIK cell therapy as a promising therapeutic strategy for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common malignancy of adult human kidney, which accounts for more than 2 % of all cancers. RCC generally does not respond well to conventional chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells are ex vivo activated lymphocytes with potent activity against various tumors and minimal side effects. Here, we summarize the data on preclinical and clinical efficacy of CIK cells for RCC treatment. Our preclinical data show that CIK cells have potent anti-tumor activity in vitro and in an in vivo nude mouse xenograft model. Clinical studies for the treatment of RCC patients indicate that CIK cell therapy can induce favorable responses with no serious side effects. These studies suggest that CIK cells may become a valuable strategy for the treatment of patients with RCC.